


for love of a flame

by thewayofthetrashcompactor (BriarLily)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Mothlo, Moths, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-13 21:44:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16480310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriarLily/pseuds/thewayofthetrashcompactor
Summary: The shadowy Order has advanced across the forest, bringing darkness in their wake. Rey is hungry and desperate, willing to face the Order themselves to steal back what they've taken from the land. What she finds there is not what she expects.A.K.A. the mothlo fic you were warned about





	for love of a flame

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I don't know what happened. One moment it's "lol it'd be great to write a mothlo fic" and the next I'm wrestling with 8k of fantasy moths and _feelings_. One day I'll learn.
> 
> (For any insect phobics or sensitives out there who still clicked on this, I promise that this isn't actually very buggy. Moths are lovely but I'm not a huge bug fan myself. We're going with the "moth-like fae" kind of aesthetic here)
> 
> This owes so much to all the amazing artists who have driven the mothlo train with incredible enthusiasm. The art has been so gorgeous, definitely go check it out if you haven't seen it. A couple links to follow, but also check out the mothlo tag! [[shierak](https://shierak-inavva.tumblr.com/post/178721509787/idk-how-it-happened-but-mothlo-fuckin-got-me-its)-[inavva](https://shierak-inavva.tumblr.com/post/178842043207/hey-did-u-know-mosurey-is-part-firefly-now-were), [rainbocake](http://rainbocake.tumblr.com/post/178330058298), [persimonne](https://persimonne.tumblr.com/post/178691829737/steampunkmothlo-au-click-on-the-pic-to-reveal-the), [pissbabysithlord](http://pissbabysithlord.tumblr.com/post/178771649187/i-promised-mothlo-monster-dick-so-here-yall-go), [picarito](http://picarito.tumblr.com/post/178631549862/move-aside-humanised-beelo-mothman-is-my-friend), [mrsmancuspia](http://mrsmancuspia.tumblr.com/post/178792514279/so-this-happened-i-blame-shierak-inavva-and), [emilyredeker](http://emilyredekerart.tumblr.com/post/178718841972/soft-and-fluffy-picarito-started-it)/[infared-eker](https://infared-eker.tumblr.com/post/179231877839/i-promised-i-would-make-up-for-the-lack-of-dick-in), [lorsanbitch](https://lorsanbitch.tumblr.com/post/178683128055/moth), [demikylo](https://demikylo.tumblr.com/post/178794508142/if-you-thought-my-monsterfucking-ass-wouldnt-be), [jjsnrk](http://jjsnrk.tumblr.com/post/178667114779/mothman-au-inspired-by-bbkateart-and-quesoen)]

Rey steps through the dark forest, antennae twitching. Normally, she wouldn't dare venture so close to the First Order's territory, but their grasp expands year by year. Food is hard enough to find nowadays, with how the winters only get longer and the summers cooler, but where the dark reach of the First Order touches, trees shrivel and blacken, grass withers, and plants fail to bloom. Rey has watched as the life faded from her home and she's been forced to travel farther all the time to find something to eat. Not many travel through this part of the forest to start, but those that do move quickly, heads down and packs held tight. She hears the whispers, that the forest is possessed, that dark figures haunt the nights. No one stays after full dark, even in the short days of winter.

But she's also heard that all the growth that the Order steals from the land, they hoard for themselves. And she intends to take some of that back.

Nothing else stirs in the forest as she passes through. She prides herself on her lightness of foot, but never has she relied on it so much. The complete stillness around her feels unnatural. No birds flit through the branches above or small rodents through the stiff grass below. Her every step dodges dry leaves and fallen branches, with the trees above remaining bare. Their gnarled hands twine overhead, so overgrown and twisted that only a hint of the evening light peeks through, faded orange against the black. 

Even that faint light slips away as she continues her journey, though it hardly matters when the trees grow so densely they the sky vanishes from sight. No stars to light her way. She feels the absence of the moon like a piece carved out of her chest. The woods remain as still as if carved from stone, and the only sound is the slight flutter of her wings behind her. The absence of anything but darkness and her own heartbeat makes the forest feel like it's closing in around her. The night becomes a tangible thing, creeping in, thick and heavy, like any moment it might seal closed, pinning her into its grasp.

She forces herself to keep her pace steady and not lost her footing under mindless panic. The night belongs to her as much as it does any of the fae moths, more so than does who don't dare to take what it has to offer. She knows her path even without a goodnight light. Her attanae flick back and forth, tasting the air. Every one of her senses screams with the wrongness all around her, but she can't be deterred. All she has to do is follow that feeling to its source and take back what's been stolen from her.

Time fades to nothingness in the endless black reaches of the cursed forest. She could have fallen into a trap and wandered for years for all she knows. Everything centers on the simple repetition of one step after another.

From somewhere in the distance, the dull glow of muted lamps winds its way through the trees, barely strong enough to cast a shadow. She thinks at first that her eyes are finally failing her, taunting her with what she can't reach, but slowly the lights from clearer. Her heart begins to race as she approaches. The lights aren't the warm glow she's used to, globes of contained flame that do their best to bring sunlight into the night. These shine cold and sickly, spreading a grayish-purple night across the dark ground. She pauses just outside of its reach, shivering as she imagines it sliding over her and taking hold. 

She strains her eyes to look beyond the line of haunted lights and into what must be the heart of the Order. Her attanae still detect nothing beyond the slithering wrongness that infects this place, but her instincts tell her that something waits on the other side of the lights. In the distance, she can barely make out the shapes of structures, and farther away something that might be firelight. A tribe like the First Order would certainly patrol their borders, and she keeps a careful look for the glint of eyes in the dark.

She stays in place for another small eternity, waiting for any hint of life she can latch on to in order to guide her way. If it weren't for the lights, she'd think this area as deserted as the rest of the forest. Sliding slowly, hardly even daring to breathe, she steps behind a tree on the edge of the light, intending to follow the line around to see where it leads. 

As soon as she moves, a flutter of wings comes from behind her. She whirls around, ready to run, but she's too late. Another creature stands behind her, waiting.

From his wings, antennae, and the thick fur at his collar, hips, and ends of his legs and arms, it's clear he's a moth like her. But from his build, he could be an entirely separate species. She's always been long and lean, built for quick movement, and hunger has driven her smaller that usual. He, on the other hand, manages to be both broader and taller than her. With his size, it's a miracle his wings can get him off the ground. She wouldn't believe they could if he wasn't hovering in front of her, ready to pounce. 

The differences don't end with their sizes. She's stayed sunkissed, a remnant of the time when she could bask in the late afternoon and watch it fade gently to night, before darkness took over the forest. Her fur reflects that too, golden oranges and yellows once bleached and now dirty. His colors have none of her gentle warmth. His chest shines like a beacon against the dark forest, reflecting the witch light behind her. From its deathly pallor, it couldn't be clearer that he's never ventured from under the protective hold of the woods. It stands out even more starkly against the inky black of his fur. The thick pelt jostles as he hovers, much richer than hers. She almost wants to reach out and touch it, see what it feels like to run her fingers through it. How soft would it be against her callused hands? Would the skin below be just as silken? The pale expanse stretches over thick muscle, showcasing the strength of a warrior. Her hands twitch but she clenches them at her sides. 

She swallows as her gaze reaches his face. Dark eyes scowl at her from underneath his feathery black antennae, also reflecting the lamplight in unearthly ways. His strong features are fixed in suspicion, and her eyes flick down to his plush lips. She waits for him to do something, speak or attack or leave, anything, but he simply watches. His eyes make the same path over her as she did to him, and she tenses. The longer he stays still, the more ready she is to move. Keeping her chest steady, her eyes dart to either side of him.

He notices the flicker and growls, wings propelling him closer. He'd been within grabbing distance when he'd appeared; now she could flick her tongue out and lick him.

“What are you doing here?” he growls, leaning even closer. She nearly flinches back, but refuses to give him the satisfaction.

“I got lost,” she says, thrusting her face up to his. She takes a touch of pleasure in the way his head darts back for an instant.

“You got lost,” he repeats, tone incredulous.

“Yes,” she insists, still not giving him an inch.

“Through the entire length and breadth of these woods. You found your way to the very center. Because you were _lost_.” He draws back just enough so she sees the way his eyebrows quirk into a clear picture of disbelief.

“Yes,” she says again.

He snorts, landing on the ground. “You are a liar,” he says plainly. She opens her mouth to protest but he continues. “A bold one, but a liar nonetheless. I ask you again: why did you come here?”

She juts her chin at him. “I've told you.”

He shakes his head. “You have not. You've lied to me, which only tells me you have something to hide. What is it?” His tone turns curious, and he cocks his head as if trying to figure out a puzzle. Then just as quickly his scowl overtakes his features. “Is it the Resistance?”

She blinks. “The what?” 

He leans in and breathes deeply, antennae twitching towards her, and she jumps back. “No. You don't smell like them.”

She snarls. She may be a loner without a tribe, but she has boundaries. No one scents a stranger like that. 

“No tribe,” he muses, eyes bright in the face of her anger. “So what are you doing here, Sunshine? Come to join us?”

“I'd rather let the spirits take me,” she spits. He glares. 

“That can be arranged,” he growls. 

She grins savagely. “You'll have to catch me first, dark sider.” She spins around, slapping her wings access his face as she takes off. 

Directly in front of her is the line of ghostly lights, and she makes to dive ahead, but something in her screams not to cross them. She pulls up short. It would be stupid to try to lose him in his in territory anyway. In a split second, she redirects, lunging to the side instead. Her wings flap, taking her up above the ground, stopped when the branches above become too gnarled to fly between. She darts around tree trunks, most at the last minute, trying to balance between speed and agility.

Below, she hears the man swear and take off. His wingspan matches his frame and she hears the whoosh of air as he pushes it out of the way. He scrapes against a tree as he darts up to meet her, and his curses follow her as she speeds away. His size should keep him from being able to match her, but the woods that are completely unfamiliar to her are home to him. Too often she loses a burst of speed when forced to dodge another branch that twists itself into her way. The bulk of the man behind her allows him little room for her skillful agility, but he bludgeons his way through the woods as if the path will form itself for him.

She weaves around one tree after another, keeping her movements as unpredictable as possible. The flap of heavy wings close behind lets her know that she hasn't lost him. Most others she's stolen from would have fallen behind by now, but he keeps up through blind stubbornness. She grits her teeth and decides to increase the challenge. She tucks her wings into her body and drops all at once. Landing on the ground, she spins around and pushes off again heading across from her path before. She keeps low to the ground now, then darts up again when she hears a less graceful 'thump’ that lets her know her pursuer has caught onto her plan. Her movements aren't at her best after her long walk already tonight, but they're still quick enough to keep her ahead. She shoots up to the low branches and then darts inside. She keeps her movements tight; the close quarters only allow for the barest twitches for guidance. 

She quickly realizes the flaw in this strategy. While she wastes her energy above, he takes the easy path below, keeping track of her and waiting for her to fall back down. With a frustrated growl, she turns again and drops. She catches herself just before the ground and picks up speed in hopes of outdoing him in one quick burst. 

And it works. He's too slow and too high up to dodge as fast as her, so though he eventually catches on, the sounds of his flailing behind her soon fade away. She grins as she flits through the trees. Navigating through this mess starts to feel more natural. She keeps her antennae forward, and starts sensing the trees before they come. She uses her limbs for balance, pushing off tree trunks to keep up her pace.

As the adrenaline wears off, she slowly realizes that though she's gotten rid of her pursuer, she's more lost than she was before. Her sharp turns saved her from being captured, but she turned herself around enough that she'll need to stop and take stock before she can even find the Order again, let alone home. She considers only briefly leaving the poisoned heart of the forest behind and returning to her nest empty-handed. Her race has left her hungrier than before, and there's no point in leaving now, not when she's so close. 

Before she fully registers what she's seeing, the purple-gray lanterns appear out of the gloom before her. She stops short, completely thrown off. She could have sworn she'd ended up parallel to them--

Her hesitation betrays her. With a flap of wings, another moth emerges from the forest behind her. She barely has time to glance over her shoulder and recognize the wide and startled eyes of the moth who'd been chasing her before he slams into her with the full force of his flight. They collapse to the ground, him on top.

\---

Kylo blinks and looks down at the moth fae he's inadvertently landed on. He'd known he was getting closer, both to her and to the edge of the encampment, but he'd expected to chase her into his stronghold. Not to find her waiting on the edge of it. He's enjoying the results however.

From this close, he sees the flecks of gold in her eyes, matching the sunkissed strands of her hair. And her scent, like the last gleaming rays of light in a crisp afternoon. She hits his senses sharp and hard, reminding him of things he thought he'd forgotten. All bright and sunlit, this one, and it couldn't be clearer that she didn't belong. Though she does fly better than any of his knights. And she's faced him with anger instead of fear. Not the usual response of anyone foolish enough to reach his lands. Her scent grows stronger as she wriggles underneath him. His wings twitch restlessly as he watches her, and he flares them in excitement. Another scent releases with the movement and settles around them, something familiar and yet not. He pays it no mind, more interested in his new prisoner.

“Caught you,” he points out, pleasantly surprised with the result. “Now what?”

She struggles again, pushing uselessly against him. The scent flares again with a spike of interest In how her whole body moves under his. The adrenaline from the chase settles into his veins and burns. “Get off,” she snaps at last, realizing the futility of shoving him. Her lean strength does her well in the air, but he has her pinned.

He considers that. “Why?”

She tries to knee him, but he catches her thigh with his and traps it. “You're on my wings,” she grinds out. Obligingly, he raises himself up, giving her just enough room to prevent the delicate membranes from being crushed against the forest floor, but still caging her in.

“Better?” he asks.

She glares. “No.”

“My apologies.” He lets his weight fall back down onto her with a thump. 

The change shoves her breath out of her and she shrieks. “That's not what I meant!”

“No?” He looks down her chest as her enraged face, buried in his chest below his feathery ruff. 

She frees an arm and elbows him, which makes him grunt but not move. Her hands shove at his chest. “Why are you so heavy?” she groans. 

He's about to answer, but then she jerks her limbs out of his hold, bundles them up, and thrusts into his stomach. He curls inward, winded, and she uses the moment to push up against his shoulder, barely getting enough leverage to roll him over. She scrambles out and over him, shoving him the rest of the way into his back and climbing on top of him. Her feet pin down his calves and her arms, his hands.

“Caught you,” she echoes, taunting him. He tries moving his arms and she snarls, shoving him back down. He settles underneath her, now with his wings pinned. Their struggle has stirred up more of that scent, and for some reason it makes his mouth water.

“So you have,” he agrees. “But the question remains. What now?”

The question stumps her, and he takes the time to look over her again as she considers. Her strong thighs clamp tight around his hips, and he jerks involuntarily as he fully realizes where the heat between her legs has settled. The light thatch of fur following the lines of her hips rests just over his own. His heart jumps oddly at the mesh of her pale golden curls against his pure black and the warmth and pressure and slight movements she makes in response to his keep sending alarming shocks along his body. His breath comes shorter but he quickly does his best to push them aside. 

Looking up the rest of her doesn't make his heart beat any slower though. The muscles of her stomach twitch as she shifts over him and he nearly groans. Her small breasts sit high, just under her ruff, pink nipples tight in the night air. He could almost lean up and bury his nose in that ruff if it weren't for her arms pinning him down. He flexes them again and his heart leaps at her rumbled growl. Her wings flare behind her, patterned in oranges and yellows that look like sun dappled leaves.

Her skin is slightly slick from their exertions. He smells the hint of her sweat along with her bright musk on the night air which grows stronger and sharper with the movement of of her wings, gaining an edge that does nothing to help his reaction to her. The exercise has left her sleek muscles pronounced under her skin, which stretches tightly over them. He frowns. Too tightly. A glance back down at her chest and stomach reveals faint shadows under her ribs and his scowl deepens.

“How long has it been since you've eaten?” he asks sharply.

She scowls and tightens her grip on him. “That's none of your business,” she spits.

The pieces fit together and understanding washes over him. “That's why you're here, isn't it?” It makes sense; very few things would compel most of the forest's inhabitants to venture into the heart of the Order. 

“I told you, it's none of your business!” She leans further over him, putting enough pressure on his wrists to make his hands start to tingle. 

“We have food,” he tells her. “In the darkness, the spirits provide.”

“I don't need your _help_.” She growls the words inches from his face. 

He smiles. So she'll steal from them, but won't take what's offered. He's known wild cats like her, fierce and isolated predators that refuse to eat food placed before them, but will happily slink off with a cut of meat left unguarded and purposefully ignored, pleased in the belief that they've outwitted their enemy. 

“Not even to find your way out? Since you've gotten lost so badly.” 

Her knees clench around him. “I can take care of myself, dark sider.”

He thrusts his legs wide, throwing her off balance, then curls his legs over hers to flip her back over. “Really?”

She uses her grip on his wrists to twist his arms back at a painful angle, pulling him with the motion. “ _Yes_.” 

He uses the advantage of his size and pushes himself up off the ground and into her. She frees her hands and clings to him like she intends to climb him, then shoves her feet into his stomach with enough force to knock him back again. He reaches to pull her off of him, and they go rolling across the forest floor.

The sun-touched moth has as much skill hand-to-hand as she does in the air, which he can't help but be impressed by. When he has her on her side, she uses her wings to pull out the force she needs to overtake him again. She fights with angry efficiency, taking any advantage she can find for as far as she can take it. It fills him with exhilaration. He spars with his knights regularly, but he's never seen anyone as creative as her. It takes all of his effort to find the gaps in her strategies, usually when she overextends herself for a strike and leaves herself open. She takes the offense with little care for herself, a tactic he knows well. He wonders how she would react if he gave her suggestions.

They grapple in a blur of limbs, wings, skin, and fur, sometimes managing to get upright before being dragged back down again. Both of them accumulate a few bruises and scrapes, but nothing serious. He doesn't want to hurt her, not really, though she doesn't seem to have the same restraint. They finally end up in a deadlock, bodies slick and panting against each other. His longer legs wrap around hers, keeping them from moving, while her arm lodges against his windpipe with one of his hands wrapped around it, failing to pull her off. Their free hands clutch each other, out of the way above their heads.

He breathes deeply and everything around them clambers at his senses. The smell of decay from the dry leaves and grass they've been rolling around in, his own scent, now spiked to urgency, but above everything is her. Surrounding him, the scent she gives off makes his heart race even faster than their fight, screaming something at his instincts he doesn't even know how to interpret, but his body does. He bites back a groan as she jerks between his legs, testing his hold on her. His thighs tighten around her and her hips slide against his.

Her eyes blaze down at him, fierce and intent. His breath leaves him all at once. “You’re magnificent,” he says, the words gusting out of him with barely a thought. She freezes. He understands the feeling; he hadn’t expected that either, but he feels the truth of it as solidly as her hold on him. 

“What--” she stammers. She looks at him suspiciously but doesn’t back away. His hold on the arm pinning him down grows softer, and he takes the time to explore her warm skin. Lines from old injuries pass under his fingers, and he wishes he could see them. He looks into her wary dark eyes and a little more of his thoughts slide away from him. 

Heedless of the arm against his throat, he lunges up, brushing his nose through the soft curls of her ruff. He chokes but manages to breathe deeply, his antennae twitching towards her. Her intoxicating scent overwhelms him, filling every part of him with nothing but _her_. Like dawn spreading over the horizon, she consumes his darkness, leaving no room for anything else. He inhales one last time before falling back to the ground. “Who are you?” he gasps. 

He thinks she might not answer, might rip herself away, and he thinks he’d let her. But instead, she blinks and tells him, “Rey.” 

“Rey,” he repeats, nearly laughing. Too fitting for this creature of sunshine and fire. “It suits you.”

She frowns as she looks down at him, but not with the anger of earlier. Instead, her expression suggests he’s a puzzle she hasn’t yet figured out. He’s strangely inclined to let her. “Who are you?” she asks in return.

He should give her his title, revel in the fear that would take over. She’s foolhardy, but not stupid, and he knows how the name of Kylo Ren has spread. She’d known what was waiting for her in the forest. 

She notices his hesitation and her eyes turn suspicious. “Well?”

He’d killed the man he was, but he finds himself dragging him up from the murky depths in the desperate hope that he can spend a few more moments basking in her glow. “Ben,” he says. His mouth feels entirely disconnected from his thoughts, but then her lips relax from their scowl and he can’t regret anything. 

“Ben. You’re one of the Order?” The way she spits the word tells him exactly what she thinks of him and his knights. 

He can hardly deny that. “Yes.”

Her gaze penetrates him, keeping him pinned in place. He has the fleeting fantasy that her dark eyes can see into him. “Why?”

“I--” He knows why he’s part of the Order. He believes in their mission. The spirits have always whispered to him, told him what he was meant for. He wants to tell her this, to make her understand. She’s a powerful force and he can only imagine what it would be like to fight with her by his side. Nothing would be able to stand against them. Instead, with her arm against his throat, he croaks, “Balance.”

She cocks her head and leans up slightly, enough to relieve some of the pressure on his windpipe. “Balance?” she repeats, brows furrowed. 

He nods, though his head against the ground limits the motion. “Light. Darkness. They must both exist. We come from the darkness to prevent the balance from being overthrown and the world turning to chaos.”

She laughs bitterly. “Have you seen the world?”

He doesn’t know what to say. The knights go on missions, but rarely beyond their lands. He remembers little of the world beyond after retreating from it so long ago. Their first duty is to the spirits here. She takes in his silence with a raised brow.

“Maybe you should.”

“Maybe,” he allows, and it feels like a betrayal. He half expects one of the spirits to manifest behind her and take him to task for his weakness, but none do. Rey’s eyes widen as she looks down at him. 

It’s her turn to hesitate. “I could show you,” she offers. 

His breath catches, though her arm barely rests on his throat. Slowly, not taking her eyes off of him, she leans away from him, freeing him from her hold. The position bends her back awkwardly, thrusting her chest out and pressing their hips closer together. The sensations he’s been pushing down come roaring back, blood racing through him to catch up. He quickly drops his legs from around hers in response, letting her go. She doesn’t leave though, still half laying on top of him. Her hips rock as she spreads her legs into an easier position, dragging against him again. He winces and she pauses. 

“What--?” She pauses and looks down. Kylo’s face flushes, and he hopes fervently that the rush of blood upward stops the hardness growing below that she’s discovered. 

It appears he has no such luck. “Oh,” she breathes, eyes wide in surprise. He leans his head back and closes his eyes, wishing the spirits would take him. He’s prided himself on his restraint, working for years to keep his emotions in balance to be a more perfect vessels for the spirits he serves. This particular instinct has never been a challenge for him, not like his anger, and he’d thought himself better than the knights who rutted in the forest like the beasts the tales called them. Apparently, all it takes to break down years of training is a slim girl who fights like a storm and yet tells him she’d show him the world. He lifts his head and lets it thud back to the ground, taking comfort in the ache that takes hold at the back of his skull. Perhaps he could leave and pretend this night was as uneventful as any other. Perhaps the spirits have taken the night off. 

Rey, the curious scavenger, doesn’t seem to realize his despair. He’s let her go completely, and yet she stays, thighs still brushing his, her gaze fixed where their hips nearly meet. Her sandy fur covers her completely, protecting her. His conceals him for the most part, but in the state of excitement he’s worked himself into, his pale member juts up from the dark curls, making his shame clear. Rey regards him, and the weight of her gaze doesn’t encourage his excitement to abate. 

He’s ready to shove her back and take his leave, when she reaches out to touch him. Their hands have covered one another in their fight, grabbing and pinching and pulling, and he’s hardly noticed, but the gentle brush of her hand over the curls between his hips knocks his breath out of him more effectively than any of her blows. He can’t even think to move. Her hand drags inward, and two fingers trail up his shaft in a breath of a touch. 

He jerks, hips thrusting upwards helplessly, and she draws in a sharp breath and pulls back. Her eyes flick up to his, and he loses his breath all over again at how dilated they are, blown nearly entirely black. Her mouth hangs slightly open, pink lips parted as she breathes shallowly. The scent in the air around them grows thick enough to taste, and he couldn’t pretend to be uninterested if he tried. 

Her gaze drops from his face back to his hips, where his member still stands proud and tall, flushed ruddy with the rush of blood from her attentions. She looks back up to him. His cheeks must be nearly the same shade of red. “I--” Her hand hangs in the air and his member twitches, as if trying to get closer. Instead of pulling back, she licks her lips, and he stops breathing entirely. 

She starts reaching out again, then pauses with a glance up at him. “Can I?” she asks, with the awkwardness of someone not used to asking for permission. 

He could refuse her and push her away, but his entire being screams for this to continue. So he nods, a sharp jerk of his chin down to his chest. Her eyes spark with excitement, making his heart skip a beat. Their scents both flare, mixing in a dizzying way. 

She closes the distance to his swollen member, this time bypassing the light touches to wrap her hand around it. The firm grip around him rips a groan from him as he arches into her touch, but she doesn’t let go. She watches him, lips curving. Her hand explores him, fingers dragging over the throbbing veins along his length, following them down to the base of him, buried in dark curls. His head stays tucked against his chest, watching as she takes him in hungrily. Every bit of this is as foreign to him as it is to her. It’s not often that he receives the luxury of touch, and even more rarely is that contact gentle. Her curious explorations send so many overwhelming signals through his mind that he can barely think. Her fingers comb through his curls, tracing around where his member juts out from his groin, then grasp him again and pull up towards his tip. He cries out, and tears prick at his eyes. 

Her touch is cool and dry, but then she brushes a thumb over where slick fluid beads out from him, smearing it over the head of his member, leaving it to cool in the night air. She hums thoughtfully and brings her thumb to her mouth to taste it, licking her lips again to chase after the remnants. He doesn’t know what she tastes, but she doesn’t seem to mind it. Her hand slides down, the movement a little easier, She bends over, and with a last glance up at him, lowers her mouth to hover above his length. He freezes, waiting to see what she’ll do. Her tongue pokes out and swipes along his head, sweeping up the fluid left there and leaving him damp with her. 

“Rey,” he groans, hand reaching for her involuntarily, wanting to draw her back down, to keep that warmth around him. He just brushes over her hair, and she leans into the touch, smiling up at him. He doesn’t know if she understands what he’s begging for or not, but her tongue returns, licking over him again, then again. She takes a couple quick laps and then a slower one, bending lower to taste more of him. Her tongue slips out further, the long proboscis common to their species, and wraps around him. The heat of it feels like a brand, burning against the chill of night. A cry escapes him and his hand tangles in the long strands of her hair. Encouraged, she does it again, tongue slipping around him, dragging along his length, then retreating, leaving wetness and lingering warmth in her wake. 

Her hand remains at the base of him, fingers idly caressing the smooth skin while her tongue plays with the rest of his length. Her other hand rests on his hip, bracing her, rubbing the soft fur there. Even with her thoroughly occupied below his waist, the scent of her fills his sense. His antennae are practically touching his forehead with how they reach down for her, and if he weren’t on his back, his wings would be fluttering wildly. She explores him with devoted intensity, eyes nearly crossing as her mouth lowers further. She takes the tip of him between her lips while her tongue coils further down, and it’s too much for him to take, too many new and wonderful sensations all at once. He yells into the forest, some incomprehensible mix of her name and blind pleasure, and his essence spills from him into her mouth in unsteady jerks. 

Startled at first, the scavenger doesn’t let a drop go to waste. She wraps her lips more tightly around him, tongue retreating to lap him clean. The heat and pressure pull the last of his pleasure from him, and he collapses back to the forest floor, spent. 

Once finished, Rey lets him fall from between her lips, tongue darting out to lick them clean. Even after the mind-altering pleasure she’s given him, something in him still manages to stir in interest at the gesture. She pulls herself up his body, legs straddling his and hips resting over him, looking at him with a slyly victorious smile. It moves him into action, and he lunges forward to grab her waist, rolling them over. 

She rolls with him, breath puffing out of her as she lands on her back. She braces her hands on his shoulders, fully ready to pull herself free if she wants, but she remains as he’s placed her for the moment, raising an expectant brow at him. He looks down at her sprawled under him, suddenly overwhelmed with the options before him. Her body lies open to him, waiting for his touch. It’s not something he’d ever even dreamed. His eyes skim the length of her, from her bright eyes, lips swollen and red from use, down past the light fur of her ruff and the soft swells of her breasts. He frowns again at the shadows of her ribs, but then she rolls her hips and stomach, drawing his eyes to the lines of sleek muscles there, before it disappears under the fur covering her hips. The curls keep him from seeing between her thighs, and his hands itch to explore as she did to him. 

He stares a little too long, and Rey becomes impatient. Her hands creep up his arms, touching and pulling at him, but without any particular purpose. Breathing heavily, he drags his gaze back up to hers. Her mouth is still red and wet, and without any other thought, he swoops down to taste it for himself. His tongue swipes across her lips, taking in the mingled taste of the two of them, his seed lingering on her skin. He groans, returning for more of that intoxicating blend. She opens her mouth to him, eager to drink from him as well. Their tongues slide past each other, and his mouth locks over hers. 

The battle between their lips occupies him more thoroughly than their earlier one, his thoughts consumed with her. The taste of her is part something he’s forgotten, part something he’s never known, and while he’s busy puzzling that out, Rey’s hands start wandering again. They wind their way into his hair first, brushing gently against his antennae near his forehead, the barest touch still enough to make him jump, then moves back, nails scraping over his scalp, which is enough to distract him into pulling away, gasping for breath. Her lips curve against his and she pulls him back down. She rubs the soft strands of his dark hair between her fingers before trailing down to give the same attention to the ruff around his neck. The hair there grows thicker and curlier, and she buries her hands in it before moving down again. She takes in his back and shoulders next, smaller hands attempting to map the spread of his muscles. He presses his chest into hers, groaning as the small, soft swells of her breasts push against him. 

His hands have been frozen at her waist, gripping just above the sharp jut of her hip bones, but he finally remembers them, dragging them up her torso to fit between them. He passes over the bumps of her ribs and swears to himself that he will do whatever he can to see that she has everything she could possibly eat. His hands fit over her breasts, spreading wide enough to brush her ruff, and she arches into his touch. He explore the soft skin as much as he can in the tight quarters, finding the tight muscles of her core, discovering the differences in their shapes. She hums happily into his mouth at his touch, then squeaks when a nail drags over her nipple. He pauses and repeats the motion, earning a pleasurable shiver. He centers his attentions, learning from the noises she makes into his mouth. She prefers a heavier touch, the scrape of his nails or a pinch in the right places, and slowly he builds her up until she writhes beneath him. The scent of her arousal grows stronger around them, until he’s nearly out of mind with the need to taste it for himself. 

With a ragged groan, he tears his mouth away from hers, scrambling down her body and shoving her legs even further apart. Her scent hits him like a slap to the face, somehow even stronger than before, and he moans. His shaking hands slide up her thighs towards her center. The powerful muscles of her legs tense and then relax, letting him fit his broad shoulders between them. He inhales deeply, then spreads his fingers over her, parting her curls to reveal her to him. The pink slickness of her center shines in the dim gray light behind them. He suddenly feels as if he hasn’t had a drop of water for weeks, and she sits like pure salvation before him. Bracing himself on her wide-spread thighs, his long tongue reaches out and swipes along the length of her. His eyes roll back in his head at her taste. Heady, salty, slightly bitter, it’s somehow everything he didn’t know he needed. His tongue never leaves her, slipping back down for more.

He easily finds her entrance, dripping as her muscles clench and release with excitement, spreading slick until the fur all around is soaked. His tongue traces the edges of her, commiting the maps of her folds to memory. He can’t resists for long though, and slips his tongue inside of her, bathing in her essence. Her thighs clamp around him involuntarily, locking his face against her, making it hard for him to breathe, but he doesn’t struggle. A sort of beatific serenity takes over him. Surrounded by the scent, taste, feel of her, he can’t conceive of anything more perfect. 

She relaxes her thighs again with a gasp, and he takes advantage of the room to angle himself deeper. His tongue pushes inside of her, twisting past her slick walls, delving deeper. He reaches as far as he can, like he could find some secret hidden in the depths of her. HIs mouth presses close against her folds and his nose nudges at the peak of her. She spasms under his hold and he freezes, terrified he could have hurt her. Her channel pulses around him, thick and heavy and he can’t keep himself from groaning. The vibrations spread across her body, sending her into another spasm and an echoing groan. 

“Ben,” she calls out, and he jolts at the name he’d almost forgotten he’d given her. It cuts to the core of him all at once, and he’s glad his face is hidden. Her hand grabs wildly for him, leaving him wincing when she swipes one of his attenae before landing on his hair. She grips him, hands clutching him to her. Her legs hook over his shoulders, heels digging into his back. “Ben, please,” she begs. 

He’s buried too deeply to ask her what she needs, so he does his best. Fingers digging into her thighs, he sets himself to his task completely. His agile tongue licks her from the inside, dragging along her walls. His nose jostles against her again and she jumps, so he does it once more, until he pulls desperate cries from her. Both hands pull on his hair now, tangling in the dark strands. She keeps him locked to her with her body, hands and legs, bent over him, and he’s never been happier to be trapped. 

She never stops moving underneath him, writhing enough that he has to hold her in place as she nears her peak. He keeps his tongue twisting inside of her, edging ever so slightly in and out. He grinds his face into her and she shrieks, coming around him with a rush of fluid. He doesn’t withdraw from her, keeping his attentions up until her grip on his hair directs him away from her instead of closer. He lets himself be pulled away reluctantly, tongue slipping free of her with a squelch. Her essence coats his face and he eagerly licks it away as she catches her breath. The taste of her coats his mouth, and he thinks it would be worth never eating again to keep that with him. 

Rey pulls his head back down to hers, licking into his mouth to taste him the way he did to her. She moans at the mix of them on his lips and her tongue thrusts deeper. Breathlessly, he does his best to keep up with her, lips and tongue and hands moving frantically, taking in as much of her as he can. With her head tilted up towards his and his long body curved over hers, her legs settle around his hips, cradling his renewed erection between her thighs. His length brushes over her damp curls and he jolts, hips arching into the soft warmth. She purrs, legs tightening, dragging him down. 

They grind against each other, both panting, until his hardness presses against the cleft of her center. He can’t keep himself from jerking again, sliding his cock along her slick folds, spreading wetness between them. She tilts her hips up to him, encouraging. He drags himself back and forth, brushing over the sensitive nerves crowning her, keeping her gasping into his mouth, until her hand snakes between them to grab hold of him. Drenched in her arousal, her hand slides easily over him, and she squeezes him lightly, lips curving into a smile against his as he pushes himself into her hold. 

Her hand directs him down through her folds to her entrance, notching him against her, and his heart stops. The tight grip of her lays just beyond a push of his hips. Rey untangles her mouth from his and brushes her lips up his cheek to his ear. “Do you want this?” she asks, voice strained. 

He jolts at the sound of her voice, nearly pushing into her. He swallows, throat dry, and whispers back, “So much, sunshine.”

“Then mate me.” She tugs his ear with her teeth. His breath leaves him all at once, and he braces his hands on her hips and pushes in. 

The tight wet heat of her around him nearly makes him lose himself immediately, but he grits his teeth and draws on the dregs of control her still has left not to embarrass himself. All their play has left her wet enough that even with the difference in their sizes, he slides deeper into her with slick ease. Her inner muscles flex around him, drawing him in, rippling along his shaft in a way that makes his eyes cross. 

Rey’s sharp teeth sink into his ear and then let go as she throws her head back. “Yes, Ben, more,” she begs him, heels spurring him on in the small of his back. 

He keeps pressing until he seats himself fully in her, their hips flush against each other, then pauses, his panting ruffling the fur at her collar. He hunches over her, trying to catch his breath. Rey wriggles under him, impatient. 

“Ben,” she whines, legs and arms tightening around him as she grinds her hips against his. She tears a groan out of him and he buries his face in her neck. The thick scent of her clinging to the fur there doesn’t help his situation. 

He raises his head again in time to see a gleam flicker through her eyes, and then she clenches around him. Her muscles tighten in a controlled but unpredictable rhythm, and he can’t hold on any longer. Growling, his hands grip her hips, fingers digging into her fur. He pulls out of her a scant inch, loathing the separation, then slams back in, grinding against her. 

“Yes!” she cries, tossing her head back. Her hair tangles with the dead leaves on the ground, shining in the weak light, and her body arches up to him. The peaks of her breasts remain rosy and taut from his hands and he reaches for them again, wrapping his hands around her chest to keep his hold on her. 

He thrusts into her over and over, short, deep motions that keep them as close as possible. He angles himself to grind where the angle makes her scream her pleasure into the forest. She doesn’t hold back, and anyone within several miles would know what they were doing in the night. He can’t bring himself to mind; why shouldn’t anyone know how they have claimed each other? 

His wings flare out behind him, covering them and spreading his scent. They flutter in time with his thrusts, dark and heavy. Beneath him, Rey wriggles in an attempt to free her own. He wants to see them spread as well, and he slows as his thoroughly occupied mind puzzles over how to achieve that without letting go of her. She pushes his shoulders as her nails dig into them, and it clicks. His hands trail down her body, never leaving her, and lock onto her waist. Carefully, he holds her to him and begins to sit up, still buried deep inside her. She catches on to his intentions quickly, clinging on to him with arms wrapped around his neck. He brings her up into his lap, settled on his lap as his legs fold under him. He nearly falls backwards, but Rey braces herself on the ground and keeps them upright.

They take a moment to adjust to her seated over him, panting into each other’s necks. He could swear he reaches even deeper like this, with her legs spread wide across him. Tentatively, she rocks against him with her feet wedged by his legs, and they both moan. Her wings flash open, revealing the bright sunset of their colors, and he clutches her tighter. Like this, they both have room to move, and the flutter of their wings quickly fills the air along with their cries and the slick sounds of their mating. 

Rey bounces on top of him, keeping with his short and deep rhythm, and he pushes up into her every time their hips meet. Her breasts bounce with her, much closer now, and he covers one with his mouth. She rewards him with another clench of her muscles around him, pushing him that much closer to the edge. His hands roam her back, all sleek muscle covered in sweat, keeping her pressed to him. 

Ben’s movements become jerky as he nears his peak, and Rey starts to lose her rhythm as well. Her hips stutter, reduced to small jerks. “Yes, Ben,” she groans, and he closes his eyes in pleasure.

“Rey,” he breathes, and with another sharp thrust, he loses himself in her. Hot seed spills into the warm clench of her around him, and she cries out and follows him. 

With a sigh, he wraps his arms around her and falls backward, letting his wings spread across the ground under him. He stretches out his legs and settles her on top of him. Sated and content, she nestles into his chest, humming happily. His hands smooth over his back and around her wings, doing his best to keep the chill off of her slick skin. 

She looks up at him, chin resting on her hands on his chest, dark eyes sparkling in the lamplight. “Will you come away with me now?” she asks. He knows what the stories say about the order, how they lure creatures into their traps, never to be seen again. Travelers warn each other about them, that one can never stray, no matter what they offer, lest they become lost. But with Rey looking at him like this, her body warm over his, he thinks he’d follow her no matter where she led.

He rests his hands over hers and kisses her again. 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I would really, really love to know what you think! Comments feed the writing.
> 
> the [tumblr link](http://thewayofthetrashcompactor.tumblr.com/post/179636338913/for-the-end-of-reylomonsters-week-i-present-8k)


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